#TalkThursday: Senate probes, demolition or public good?

MANILA, Philippines – Vice President Jejomar Binay seems unfazed by allegations of corruption against him. If senators and whistleblowers leading the Senate investigation on it are to be believed, he has every reason to be worried.  

The Senate Blue Ribbon subcommittee, first convened to investigate the allegedly overpriced Makati City Building 2, has since turned into a venue for Binay’s detractors to air his dirty laundry. 

Over the course of 12 hearings, whistleblowers – former allies and perennial foes of Binay alike – have accused him of rigging bids for city projects and getting kickbacks in return. The Binay patriarch allegedly hid this wealth through dummies and foreign accounts. Among his allegedly hidden properties include a vast estate in Batangas and at least 6 condominiums in Makati city. 

The Vice President was mayor of Makati for more than 2 decades. His wife, Elenita Binay also held the position for one term while his only son, Jejomar Erwin Binay, Jr., is the incumbent mayor of the city. Two Binay daughters are also in politics: eldest Nancy Binay is a senator, while Abigail Binay is a Makati representative. 

Binay has denied all the allegations against him, accusing lawmakers leading the probe – Senators Antonio Trillanes IV, Alan Peter Cayetano, and Aquilino Pimentel III – of using it as a means to further their own political dreams. He also said the probe is part of a plot to ruin his plans of running for president in 2016.

Exactly 3 months after the subcommittee first convened, Rappler talks to Trillanes about what awaits the Vice President in 2015 and what the probe hopes to achieve. Have the Senate probes become a platform for demolition or is it serving a public good? 

Watch on Thursday, 1:00 pm LIVE. – Rappler.com